NOTICES OF SOCIETIES. 



J. M. Thovburn & Co. The two collections 

 were so nearly eqiial in merit, that there was 

 little to choose between them. Mr. Dunlap's 

 appeared the most numerous, but the dark 

 flowers predominated so much as to give a som- 

 bre hue to the collections. In Messrs Thorburn's 

 the light varieties prevailed, and rendered them 

 more attractive as a whole. We noticed in the 

 latter, several new varieties which promise to 

 be favorites. 



^Ye must not forget to thank Mr. Leonard 

 Spencer for the well arranged and beautiful 

 vase oi native grasses, vvhich contained twenty- 

 two specimens, and was much admired. This 

 gentleman, we are sure, can teach his neighbors 

 how to •■' go ahead horficiilturaUi/," ^^^ ^^'^ 

 hope he will do so. 



There were several pots of ^ichimcnes exhi- 

 bited, but we do not particularise them, because 

 although clean and neat, they were by no 

 means grown in the luxuriant way which this 

 family of plants admits of, and in which at this 

 season of the j^ear, we expect to see them ex- 

 hibited. Our friends must grow them faster, 

 and shift them oftener than they appear to do, 

 if they want fine specimens. 



Whatever may have been the opinion of the 

 visitors about the flowers of the exhibition, we 

 are certain that there could exist but one feel- 

 about the vegetables. They were all extremely 

 fine, and the variety exhibited was highly cre- 

 ditable to the Society. We will notice first the 

 four large flat Dutch cabbage, sent with many 

 fine specimens of other vegetables, by Francis 

 Brill, Esq., of Astoria, and also his Boston 

 Marrow Squash. The first premium was given 

 to J. ]\Iitchell, gardener to Wni. Watson, 

 Esq., Westchester, whose collection was very 

 good, but the finest display, taken as a whole, 

 was that of Jacob Giraud, Esq., of Bergen, N. 

 J., a gentlemen well known to our scientific 

 world as an ornithologist, and M'ho we are glad 

 to find thus turning his attention to experimen- 

 tal gardening. His specimens of carrots, beets 

 of two or three varieties, potatoes, Swiss chard, 

 cardoons, escarole, radish, egg plants (of six or 

 eight varieties,) tomatoes, &c., in the whole 

 about thirty sorts of vegetables, gave evidence 

 of the most judicious and skilful culture. In 

 on he sent upwards of thirty varieties of 

 corn, of M'hich his collection is. we be- 



lieve, one of the best in the country, and is 

 doubtless well known to our readers, from his 

 exhibitions of it at the Annual Fair of the Ame- 

 rican Institute. 



Altogether the exhibition M-as, we repeat, 

 highly satisfactory, and induces us to liope for 

 much from the Society in its second year. 



We have one cause of complaint against the 

 committee of management, which tve are con- 

 vinced they will remedy on future occasions. 

 We mean the fixing Monday as the first day 

 of the exhibition. Of all days in the week it is 

 peculiarly that which ought to be avoided. To 

 all exhibitors the day before the exhibition, is 

 necessarily a busy one in preparing for tlie con- 

 test, and consequently should never fall on 



Sunday. M. 



Albany and Rensselaer Hort, Society. 



The autumnal exhibition of the Albany and 

 Rensselaer Hort. Society, took place on the 

 13th and 14th ult. The display of fruits, flow- 

 ers and vegetables exceeded that of any former 

 exhibition. The Society met at 12 .m. on Tues- 

 day, its President, Dr. Herman Wenpell, in 

 the Chair, who in an appropriate and feeling 

 manner, called the attention of its members to 

 the death of the late A. J. Downing, editor 

 of the Horticulturist, and oflTered the following 

 resolutions which were unanimously adopted : — 



Resolved, That the members of the Albany 

 and Rensselaer Horticultural Society, in com- 

 mon with others of the Pomological, Horticul- 

 tural and Agricultural portions of our citizens, 

 mourn sincerely the death of the late A. J. 

 DoAVNiNG, who has been more instrumental, 

 than any other individual, in extenduig a taste 

 for, and i)romoting the love of, all tlie branches 

 of an art which conduces so much to the com- 

 fort and the pleasure of the community. 



Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, 

 properly attested, be forwarded to the family 

 of the late Mr. Downing, and that they be eni- 

 liodied in and pul)lished with the records of this 

 Society. 



The following gentlemen were chosen dele- 

 gates to represent the Society at the Fair of the 

 American Institute, to be held in Xew-York, 

 in October: — 



Joel Rathbone, V. P. Douw, Herman Wen- 

 dell B. P. Johnson, J. McD. McIntire.B. B. Kirt- 

 land, Wm. Newcombe, Erastus Corning, jr., 

 Jefferson Maj-ell, James Wilson, W. A. Whav 

 ton, E. M. Van Alstyne, E. E. Piatt and 

 Dorr. 



